Hearth & Home Prince Andrew

Pretty much just a Plain-Jane. No bite but this seems like nothing to write home about. Even its simplicity is unremarkable. I prefer the MacBaren burley blends to this mix...but I am not partial to Prince Albert, either.

Govern Yourself Accordingly.

Prince Andrew They say this is a match to Prince Albert (which was the first tobacco I smoke when I started back in the 70’s.) It had been a long time since I had smoked Prince Albert, so when I ordered this, I went to the local store and brought Albert home.

In a side by side comparison, I do not see where these two match up, other than to say they are both very mild. I do feel that Hearth and Home has a better product, one that serves up a better taste.

The blend does smoke well. It’s very easy to light and it stays lite and burns very clean.

While I do not believe this will be a main stay in my cellar, but I can see getting a few ounces now and then.

Perhaps writing a review based on two-year-old impressions is unfair and subjective, but then again, it may help the blender improve the product. Whatever the case may be, onward with the review.

In brief, this is supposed to be a match for Prince Albert...but Russ got it wrong and then some.

This blend looks like Prince Albert, but otherwise is not a match at all. It isn't even close. It has some flavoring, but I couldn't precisely identity it. Strength was decent, and room note was bearable. Yet how it manages to be so sickeningly moist is beyond me. No amount of drying tamed it. All I ever got out of it was a hot, wet, and unpleasant smoke almoat totally devoid of flavor.

I did review Prince Albert a while back. (If you don't mind scrolling, my review of Prince Albert can be found on that blend's page, under "Emeritus Account," dated 18 September 2012.) In that review, I said Prince Albert was a classic. I'd now say it's an icon in the pipe tobacco world.

Prince Andrew, on the other hand, is a travesty. The concept of a Prince Albert match at a slightly lower price was a solid one. It's a little sad that, in trying to attain this goal, Prince Andrew fell flat on his face.

I finished the tub, but only because I was poor at the time. Had I been better off financially, at least 13 of 14 ounces would have been dumped.

Not recommend.

Bag note is grassy hay with a smell similar to play dough. It’s sweet smelling. Ribbons of various dimensions with the perfect feel and moisture content. Packs and lights like a dream.

On lighting this I’m not met with any sort of play dough, PG, or chemical taste. I do however get an alcohol flavor and the taste of walnuts. The rest is burley. Wood, grains, nuts, molasses. Nuts being prominent, like walnuts. It’s fairly nutty and boozy which is delicious. Later on I did get some cocoa flavor too. Now I’ve never smoked Prince Albert in a can… so I can’t compare. However the quality of this here is above average and this was an enjoyable smoke. Leaves little aftertaste, a bit of a mouth tingle, and a bit of harshness for me. Burleys tend to bite me. Little nicotine which is a plus for me. I enjoyed the top notes which makes this 3 stars. Something I would definitely buy again.

*update*

After smoking some Prince Albert circa 74-86 I was surprised at the similarities. The prominent flavor being walnuts. The alcohol flavor I imagine had been lost due to age.

Pleasant surprise. Nice, nutty burley, mild cocoa taste. Takes and keeps a light. Very nice all-day smoke. None of the chemical taste that you get at the first puffs of so many OTC blends - like this more than the tobacco it sought to copy.

This is exactly what is claims to be, an excellent match to Prince Albert. Perhaps unreasonably, I was hoping that, like a couple of the other H&H Match blends, better ingredients and the hand of a master blender would make this a bit better. Not so. I find PAlbert smokes too hot, too wet, and with too high a nic hit. I tried PAndrew, fresh out of the tub, in the 3 pretty good briars I save for burleys and had a nearly indistinguishable experience. PAndrew does smoke all the way to the bottom and has a slightly better room note. I'm going to give this 3 stars because it's what it claims to be. One star for me. I appreciate the very reasonable price of these blends but I wish there was an option to try out a smaller container. I'm not much for fussing with waiting for tobacco to dry out. I think it should arrive smokable. But I'll leave some of this one to dry for a week and revisit if necessary. Till then, I'll stick with the excellent Chestnut when I'm feeling nostalgic.

As a clone, for lack of better term, of Middleton's famous "Prince Albert" burley blend, the immediate question that springs to mind is whether Prince Andrew succeeds as an imitation. In short, it does. Indeed, smoking the blends back-to-back, I could scarcely differentiate between them, and I imagine only those truly dedicated diehard fans of Albert will be able to do so with any consistency. This is a blend that mirrors its inspiration with a high degree of accuracy, and manages to be more readily available and affordable in the process. So, if you want some Albert, but want to save a few bucks or are tired of having to hunt down a pouch of the once ubiquitous blend, here is your answer to those problems. Read no further.

But to judge the blend on its own merits, there is still much to recommend. This is a classic burley "codger" blend through and through. The cut is classic ribbon style, which is the one and perhaps only major difference between it and Albert, which is a cube-cut blend. The tobacco takes to a light readily and requires few relights, and the tin note has that earthy, woodsy burley scent upfront, with hints of cocoa and vanilla to come; this tin note coincides with the flavor exactly.

The buttery and slightly woody tastes of the burley are present throughout the entirety of the smoke, and the cocoa and vanilla swirl together and interplay nicely, never sublimating the burley. There is not much complexity here, but what is lacking in depth is made up for in consistency and pleasantness. This is an all day smoke that has very few rough edges and just enough body and a nicotine hit to give it some oomph.

Full disclosure: when it comes to the so-called "codger" or over-the-counter (OTC) blends, Prince Albert has been one of my favorites. But for my money, Andrew gets a slight edge by delivering the same result in a cheaper and easier to acquire product. I also find this to be an exceptional blend for breaking in new pipes. For some hardcore burley fans, this may be a little too light. And for the discerning aromatic fans, the sweetness and flavor just a bit too thin. But for most, this will hit that sweet spot. I know it does for me. A fine blend for beginners and aficionados alike!

Will Prince Albert ever abdicate in favor of his brother (here)? That is what we all want to know, right? I am operating under the assumption this is a match blend, so my review is with comparative notes in mind.

Right off the bat, Prince Albert comes in a vertical beast of a baggy with a narrow mouth (making entry a little annoying) vs the much smaller, half ounce lighter, foil finished little red carrying pouch made for tiny hands. The tobacco itself is much dryer without the waxy, rubbery casing of Albert, and has a mulch aroma behind the advertised cocoa (not a sugary affair, more like baking chocolate). My memory is not all intact, but I don't recall Albert being a chocolate leaning Aromatic. In any case, Prince Andrew was approachable and ready for fire.

The bouncy mix needed no drying, yet needed to be mashed in good, having a penchant to expand. Sparked quickly and delivered a mild, rather dry and bland smoke I found boring for being an Aromatic. It never had a chemical finish, but I was oddly yearning for the 'fake' taste of the King whom will remain on his throne.

One of the things I liked about Prince Albert was it's rubbery feel and "this ain't natural" taste, this match was just another boring Burley blend I'll easily forget, though if pressed, I could concede some similar notes here.

First let me say that I am not one that smokes many straight burley blends, but occasionally have the taste to light one up. The pouch noted was very chocolaty. The tobacco moisture was right on the mark. It packed well and stayed lit with a reasonable number of relights. The taste was a nutty chocolate, very pleasant. All day smoke - not a bad burley blend